2000
#2,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.16
Uncommon Last name
Edge
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hillside or cliffside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,836 Americans carry the last name Edge. That puts it at #3,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edge surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Edge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,703
Census rank
#3,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,194 bearers of the surname Edge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edge, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edge
The surname Edge originates from England and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "ecg," meaning "edge" or "ridge," which refers to someone who lived near a prominent ridge or edge of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Edge appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Several individuals with variations of the name, such as "Edgge" and "Egge," are mentioned in this historical document.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname Edge was concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. This geographic distribution is reflected in the presence of various place names incorporating the word "edge," such as Edge Hill in Warwickshire and Edgeley in Cheshire.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Roger de Egge was recorded as a landowner in the village of Edgeley, Cheshire. Another early bearer of the name was John Egge, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.
During the Renaissance period, the surname Edge gained prominence with individuals like Sir Thomas Edge (c. 1560-1624), who was a wealthy merchant and benefactor in London. He endowed a grammar school in his hometown of Olney, Buckinghamshire, which still bears his name today.
In the 17th century, the Edge family produced several notable figures, including Reverend John Edge (1593-1665), an English Presbyterian minister, and Ralph Edge (1609-1676), a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.
Moving into the 18th century, Benjamin Edge (1720-1803) was a prominent British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
The 19th century saw the rise of the industrialist and philanthropist Thomas Edge (1808-1888), who made his fortune in the textile industry and was a prominent figure in the city of Manchester.
Another notable bearer of the Edge surname was the poet and author Selwyn Edge (1868-1940), who was a member of the Bloomsbury Group and known for his literary works and critical essays.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edge
Among Census respondents with the surname Edge, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Edge bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Edge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.6% · 8,686
- Black or African American13.5% · 1,508
- Two or more races4.5% · 500
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 340
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edge
Edge appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,556
+340 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Down 169 places
2020
#3,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,194
-362 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.75
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,950 | 11,216 | 4.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,119 | 11,556 | 3.92 | +340 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 169 places |
| 2020 | #3,142 | 11,194 | 3.75 | -362 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 23 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Edge surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,119 | #3,142 | -0.7% |
| Count | 11,556 | 11,194 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.92 | 3.75 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edge bearers went from 11,556 to 11,194 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,119 to #3,142.
FAQ
Edge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edge?
Name Census estimates that about 12,836 living Americans carry the surname Edge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,703 residents.
How common is Edge?
Edge ranks #3,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,194 people with the surname Edge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Edge.
Has Edge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edge went from 11,556 recorded bearers to 11,194. That is a decrease of 362 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,119 to #3,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Edge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edge, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Edge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (8,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.6%), Black (13.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Edge (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Edge mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hillside or cliffside. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Edge (3.75 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Edge?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Edge is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.